The race for the playoff spots is heating up here in the NBA. With few more games left, every day matters now in Orlando.
The Spurs, Grizzlies, and Pelicans kept their playoff hopes alive with important wins against their respective counterparts, while the Nets have clinched their berth when they sent the Kings crashing.
Meanwhile, the Sixers defeated the Magic while the Celtics gave the Raptors a reminder as to why they are dark horse title contenders.
Here are today’s NBA 2020 results courtesy of SBOBET.
San Antonio Spurs 119-111 Utah Jazz
The Spurs got a huge boost to their playoff hopes with a win against the short-handed Jazz last night.
With the likes of Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Mike Conley out, the Gregg Popovich-mentored squad kicked their defence up a notch to frustrate Utah.
They held the Jazz to only 42-per cent shooting from the field as the latter had limited scoring options.
San Antonio took the lead from the get-go and it ballooned to as high as 16 points midway in the third period with Rudy Gay scoring 10 of his 14 points there.
Derrick White led the Spurs with 24 points while Jakob Poeltl had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double and they are now at the 10th place of the Western Conference – a half-game ahead of the resurgent Suns team.
Memphis Grizzlies 121-92 Oklahoma City Thunder
After losing three straight games, the Grizzlies finally got their first victory in the restart by blowing out the Thunder last night.
Memphis came into this match with low NBA 2020 odds to win especially with Jaren Jackson Jr. declared out indefinitely due to a torn meniscus, but they dug deep to pull off a comeback victory.
OKC led by double digits in the first quarter, but Memphis turned things around with a run of their own in the next two periods, outscoring them 70-41.
The Thunder looked nothing like the team that dismantled the Lakers last Wednesday and they missed a golden opportunity to move into a tie with the Rockets in the fourth seed.
Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 apiece for the Grizzlies, who remain at the eighth spot of the Western Conference standings.
Brooklyn Nets 119-106 Sacramento Kings
The Nets secured their playoff spot with a victory against the Kings.
Caris LeVert topscored for Brooklyn with 22 markers while Jarrett Allen almost notched a triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
After a superb first half, the Nets had to fend off the Kings as the latter tried to mount a comeback in multiple occasions.
Despite leading by 16 points midway through the third period, the Nets saw their advantage trimmed to only four points as Bogdan Bogdanovic sparked a Kings rally.
But after Garrett Temple made a three to extend the lead, the Nets held on with a comfortable lead and never looked back.
With the defeat, the Kings slid to a 1-4 record and they’ve fallen far behind in the crowded race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Philadelphia Sixers 108-101 Orlando Magic
With Ben Simmons out due to a dislocated kneecap, everyone from the Sixers had to do their part and fill the void.
And with the Magic leading by a slim margin after the first half, the Sixers needed someone to take over, and they got their wish when Joel Embiid locked in.
The Cameroonian big was aggressive in the second half, scoring 16 of his 23 points. No one could stop him in the paint as he shot 7-for-10 there.
He was backstopped by Tobias Harris, Alec Burks, and Al Horford who scored 23, 22, and 21 respectively.
Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic tallied 22 and 21 to lead Orlando, who were playing without Aaron Gordon due to a hamstring concern.
New Orleans Pelicans 118-107 Washington Wizards
The Pelicans have inched closer to the eighth spot by topping the Wizards even without star rookie Zion Williamson.
New Orleans sidelined Williamson since it was the second game of back-to-backs, but they didn’t skip a beat as they got timely contributions from the bench along with Jrue Holiday’s 28-point outing.
After a back-and-forth first half, New Orleans took over in the third period by outscoring Washington 37-25 and they held on to the lead for good.
The Wizards were led by Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant who recorded 23 and 22 points. Washington are now 0-5 in the bubble.
Boston Celtics 122-100 Toronto Raptors
A hot start was all the Celtics needed in order to dispatch the defending champions.
Boston never let up in what was a masterful performance against Toronto, who at one point, led to as high as 40 points to keep their slim hopes alive of trying to get to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Just like in their previous game against the Nets, multiple Celtics scored in double digits. Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 20 points.
It was a miserable outing for the Raptors as their starters combined to shoot 16-for-45 from the field, and 3-for-19 from the three-point area.
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